Ice-manufacturing apparatus



1. P.l BOYLE ANDVW. A. INI/IAN.

ICE MANUFACTURING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILEDUUNE 8, I9I8 Patented Nov., Z2, T9231.,

2 SHEETS--SHEET I las! mumrIIIIIIIIIIlIrII..IIIrIII.i

J. P. BOY-LE AND VV. A. INIVIAN.

ICE MANUFACTURING APPARATUS.

APPLICAION FILED )UNE 9. 1918.

Ptlld NOV. 22, 1921..

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JOHN I. BOYLE AND WALTER A. INMAN', OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; SAID INMANASSIGNOR TO SAID JBOYLE.

ICE-MANUFACTURING AI'PRATUS.

instalas.

.application led. June 8, 1918.

T o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN I). BorLE and llfVALrnR A. INMAN, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and Stateof Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Ice-.Manufacturing Apparatus, of which the fol- 1When ice is thus produced,it is necessary to agitate the water in the container in order toprevent the formation of a visible core in the center of the ice. Inorder to produce clear ice in these tanks, it is necessary to yeliminate the air bubbles or small particles ice.

of finely subdivided air found in the Water, as otherwise theseparticles, when the water is frozen, cause the ice to assume anontransparent appearance, as before outlined.

rIhe preferred form of agitating the water during the freezing processin order to eliminate these small particles of iinely subdivided airconsists in the introduction of a tube into the water to be frozen,through which tube air is blown. rI`he air blown into the water causesthe water to be agitated sufficiently to discharge these air bubbles. I

Our invention concerns itself with the provision of means for readilyand quickly disconnecting these pipes from a main pipe throughwhich theair is supplied. It must be understood that after the water in thecontainer is entirely frozen, the tubes before mentioned are frozen intothe body of the It is then necessary subsequently to heat these tubes inany suitable manner to melt the ice surrounding them so that these tubescan be withdrawn.

tile will explain our invention more in detail by referring to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectionalview of a plant showing a plurality of tanks in which blocks of ice areto be frozen;

Fig. 2 is a top view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side view of one of the tubes Shown as connectedwith the iateral air pipe;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 22, 119211.

serial No. 239,009.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and

Figs. 5 6 and 7 are views similar to F ig. 4 showing modifications ofthe connecting structure.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, we sh'ow a main refrigeratingchamber 10 within which is provided a compartment 11 formed by the walls12. In the compartment 11 we provide a plurality of supports 13 uponeach of which a tank 14 is mounted. Ihese tanks 14 are filled with waterwhich 1s to be frozen into blocks of ice. Suitable spacers 15 areprovided to assist in alining the tanks 14. There is also provided amain a1r supply pipe 16 which feeds a plurality of lateral air supplypipes 17, 17. 'Ihe lateral air supply pipes 17 are then associated withthe depending tubes 18 so vthat the air from the main supply pipe 16 isblown through the tubes 18 into the liquid into which these tubes 18project. The laterals 17 are preferabl connected with the main supplypipe 16 t rough the interposition of suitable couplings 19 and valves20.

Our invention concerns itself with thel provision-of means whereby toprovide a simple, eiicient, easily conhectible and disconnectibleassociation between the laterals 17 and their coperating tubes 18. rllheimproved connection which we have provided will be more clearly apparentfrom an inspection of Figs. 3 and 4. As more clearly shown in thesefigures, the tubes 18 are open at their lower extremities and are alsopr0- vided with small openings 21 near their lower ends. i

In accordance with our invention the laterals 17 are provided withnipples 22 which are preferably screw threaded into position, thesenipples preferably having shoulders 23 so they may serve to hold springfingers 24 in position. The nipples 22 have discharge openings 25, asshown, so that the air may blow therethrough into the tubes 18. 'llhetubes 18 preferably have connecting sleeves 2G attached to their upperextremities, which connecting sleeves have seats at their upperextremities so that they may seat against the lower surfaces of thenipples in an airtight manner. The sleeves 26 also have beveledextremities, as shown more clearly at 27, to coperate with the springfingers 24.

F rom the construction thus described it will be readily seen that ifthe tubes. l@ Wett titi frozen in the ice that all that would benecessary to disconnect the lateral 17 would be to exert sufficientforce to lift the lateral 17 away from .its connected tubes18, the forcerequired being merely sufficient to disengage the spring fingers 24 fromtheir hold against the beveled surfaces of the sleeves 26. The fingers24 are of course strong enough to hold the tubes 18 normally so that theconnection between the sleeves 264 and the nipples 22 is substantiallyairtight.

By referring to Fig. 1, it will be readily seen in how simple a mannerthe laterals 17 may be removed after the water in the tanks 14 has beenfrozen andl the tubes 18 .are held .tightly by the ice. All that, it isnecessary to do is to disconnect the lateral,

17 from the main supply pipe 16 byV disconnecting the coupling 19,whereupon this lateral'may be lifted off from its position, leaving thetubes 18 behind. The tanks 14 may thenV be removed and the tubes 18,when properly warmed, taken out of their positions within the blocks ofice.

In Fig. 5, we show a modified form of the Structure illustrated in Fi 4,in that the nipple 22 in addition toho din the spring fingers 24 inposition, also ho ds a rubber or similar gasket 28 in position. Thesleeve 26a is not provided with a seat to engage the nipple 22, butdirectly abuts the gasket' 28, thus again forming a substantiallyairtight connection.

In Fig. 6, we show .a further modified form in which the exposedportions ofthe nipples 22 take the form of truncated cones, the sleeves26" having an internal shape to conform thereto so as to provide asubstantially airtight connection.

Fig. 7 shows a further modification wherein the spring fingers 24c aresecured directly to the laterals 17 by means of the screws 30.

In showing the modifications of Figs 5, 6 and 7 we do not wish it tobeunderstood' that these are the only modifications available, as manymodifications may be made within the spirit of our invention without dearting from its scope.

aving however thus described certain forms which our inventionV maytake, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 4

1. Ice manufacturing apparatus of the character described comprising arigid substantially horizontally extending air supply pipe, a pluralityof rigid substantially vertically extending tubes depending therefrom,and yieldable spring fingers carried by the pipe for rigidly joining thetubes to the pipe so that the pipe may be simultaneously disconnectedfrom all of said tubes, after which said tubes may be removed from Y.theice by asubstantially vertical movement thereof.

2. A device of the character described comprising an air supply pipe,nipples formed thereon, tubes adapted to seat, at one end, against saidnipples, and spring fingers carried by said pipe for holding the tubesin substantial air tight connection with said nipples.

3. Ice manufacturing apparatus of the character described comprising anair supply pipe, a depending tube, a sleeve carried by the tube andhaving beveled shoulders v formed at its lower end, and spring fingerscarried by the pipe for engaging the beveled l shoulders on said sleevefor detachably connecting the tube to the pipe.

4. In ice manufacturing apparatus of the character wherein blow tubesare positioned within ice'forming containers and are adaptedv to befrozen into the ice, the combination of an air supply pipe, nipplesformed thereon, tubes having beveled shoulders formed thereonand springclips carried by the pipe for holding said tubes in contact with saidnipples but permitting` the pipe to be simultaneously disconnected fromall of sai tubes when they are frozen in.

5. In ice manufacturing apparatus of the character wherein blow tubesare positioned `character described comprising a rigid tu-l bularhorizontal distributing member, rigid vertical tubes and means carriedby said horizontal member' for rigidly coupling said tubes thereto, saidmeans providingreadily detachable connections whereby said pipe..

will be simultaneously disconnected from all of said tubes by a slightvertical movement thereof. Y

7. Ice manufacturing apparatus of the character described comprising arigid tubu;

lar horizontal distributing member, rigid vertical tubes and resilientmeans carried by said horizontal member for rigidly coupling said tubesthereto, Said` means `providing readily detachable connections wherebysaid pipe rwill be simultaneously disconnected from all of said tubes bya slight vertical movement thereof.

8. Ice manufacturing apparatus of the character described comprising arigid tu bula'r` horizontal distributing member, rigid vertical tubes,and means carried by lsaid me'aeoe horizontal member for rigidlycoupling said tubes thereto, said means providing readily detachableconnections adapted to withstand air under pressure whereby said memberwill be simultaneously disconnected from all oilisaidv tubes 'by aslight vertical movement thereof.

9. lee manufacturing apparatusy of the character described comprising arigid tubular ,horizontal distributing member, rigid vertical tubes, andmeans carried by said horizontal member for rigidly clamping said tubesthereto, said means providing readily detachable connections adapted towithstand air under. presure whereby said 15 member Will besimultaneously disconnected from all of said tubes by a slight verticalmovement thereof.

In Witness whereof We hereunto subscribe our names this 27th da of May,A. D. 1918. 20 JOH P. BOYLE.

. WALTER A. INMAN.

